Reentrant Behavior of Divalent-Counterion-Mediated DNA-DNA Electrostatic Interaction
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The problem of DNA-DNA interaction mediated by divalent counterions is studied using computer simulation. Although divalent counterions cannot condense free DNA molecules in solution, we show that if DNA configurational entropy is restricted, divalent counterions can cause DNA reentrant condensation similar to that caused by tri- or tetra-valent counterions. DNA-DNA interaction is strongly repulsive at small or large counterion concentration and is negligible or slightly attractive for a concentration in between. Implications of our results to experiments of DNA ejection from bacteriophages are discussed. The quantitative result serves to understand electrostatic effects in other experiments involving DNA and divalent counterions.Keywords:
Divalent
Counterion Condensation
DNA condensation
Reentrancy
We have computed the fraction of DNA phosphate charge neutralized by condensed counterions for parallel pairs of linear DNA segments, DNA circles, and representative closed-circular supercoiled DNA configurations ranging in length from 42 to 3000 base pairs. We find significant but small uptake of condensed counterions for the more compact structures relative to an isolated linear DNA segment.
Counterion Condensation
DNA condensation
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The problem of DNA− DNA interaction mediated by divalent counterions is studied using a generalized grand-canonical Monte-Carlo simulation for a system of two salts. The effect of the divalent counterion size on the condensation behavior of the DNA bundle is investigated. Experimentally, it is known that multivalent counterions have strong effect on the DNA condensation phenomenon. While tri- and tetra-valent counterions are shown to easily condense free DNA molecules in solution into toroidal bundles, the situation with divalent counterions is not as clear cut. Some divalent counterions like Mg+2 are not able to condense free DNA molecules in solution, while some like Mn+2 can condense them into disorder bundles. In restricted environment such as in two dimensional system or inside viral capsid, Mg+2 can have strong effect and able to condense them, but the condensation varies qualitatively with different system, different coions. It has been suggested that divalent counterions can induce attraction between DNA molecules but the strength of the attraction is not strong enough to condense free DNA in solution. However, if the configuration entropy of DNA is restricted, these attractions are enough to cause appreciable effects. The variations among different divalent salts might be due to the hydration effect of the divalent counterions. In this paper, we try to understand this variation using a very simple parameter, the size of the divalent counterions. We investigate how divalent counterions with different sizes can lead to varying qualitative behavior of DNA condensation in restricted environments. Additionally, a grand canonical Monte-Carlo method for simulation of systems with two different salts is presented in detail.
Divalent
Counterion Condensation
DNA condensation
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Counterion Condensation
DNA condensation
Osmotic pressure
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Abstract An estimation of the various free energy contributions to DNA collapse into toroidal particles is made, considering DNA bending and segment mobility, electrostatic repulsions between DNA chains, and attractive forces resulting from correlated counterion fluctuations. It is shown that the process of DNA condensation becomes spontaneous in the presence of divalent cations in methanol, and in the presence of tri- or tetravalent cations in water media. This is a consequence of the large decrease in the electrostatic repulsion between charged DNA segments, allowing the attractive force resulting from correlated fluctuations of bound counterions to become dominant. Our calculations indicate that short DNA fragments would condense into multimolecular particles in order to maximize the attractive force due to counterion fluctuations.
Counterion Condensation
DNA condensation
Divalent
Electrostatics
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The problem of DNA-DNA interaction mediated by divalent counterions is studied using computer simulation. Although divalent counterions cannot condense free DNA molecules in solution, we show that if DNA configurational entropy is restricted, divalent counterions can cause DNA reentrant condensation similar to that caused by tri- or tetra-valent counterions. DNA-DNA interaction is strongly repulsive at small or large counterion concentration and is negligible or slightly attractive for a concentration in between. Implications of our results to experiments of DNA ejection from bacteriophages are discussed. The quantitative result serves to understand electrostatic effects in other experiments involving DNA and divalent counterions.
Divalent
Counterion Condensation
DNA condensation
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Citations (0)
The problem of DNA$-$DNA interaction mediated by divalent counterions is studied using computer simulation. The effect of the counterion size on the condensation behavior of the DNA bundle is investigated. Experimentally, it is known that multivalent counterions has strong effect on the DNA condensation phenomenon. While tri- and tetra-valent counterions are shown to easily condense free DNA molecules in solution into torroidal bundles, the situation with divalent counterions are not as clear cut. Some divalent counterions like Mg$^{+2}$ are not able to condense free DNA molecules in solution, while some like Mn$^{+2}$ can condense them into disorder bundles. In restricted environment such as in two dimensional system or inside viral capsid, Mg$^{+2}$ can have strong effect and able to condense them, but the condensation varies qualitatively with different system, different coions. It has been suggested that divalent counterions can induce attraction between DNA molecules but the strength of the attraction is not strong enough to condense free DNA in solution. However, if the configuration entropy of DNA is restricted, these attractions are enough to cause appreciable effects. The variations among different divalent salts might be due to the hydration effect of the divalent counterions. In this paper, we try to understand this variation using a very simple parameters, the size of the divalent counterions. We investigate how divalent counterions with different sizes can leads to varying qualitative behavior of DNA condensation in restricted environments.
Divalent
Counterion Condensation
DNA condensation
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Counterion Condensation
DNA condensation
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Counterion Condensation
DNA condensation
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Strongly correlated electrostatics of DNA systems has drawn the interest of many groups, especially the condensation and overcharging of DNA by multivalent counterions. By adding counterions of different valencies and shapes, one can enhance or reduce DNA overcharging. In this letter, we focus on the effect of multivalent co-ions, specifically divalent coion such as SO$_4^{2-}$, on the strongly correlated electrostatics of DNA condensation problem. A computational experiment of DNA condensation using Monte$-$Carlo simulation in grand canonical ensemble is carried out where DNA system is in equilibirium with a bulk solution containing a mixture of salt of different valency of co-ions. Compared to system with purely monovalent co-ions, the influence of divalent co-ions shows up in multiple aspects. Divalent co-ions lead to an increase of monovalent salt in the DNA condensate. Because monovalent salts mostly participate in linear screening of electrostatic interactions in the system, more monovalent salt molecules enter the condensate leads to screening out of short-range DNA$-$DNA like charge attraction and weaker DNA condensation free energy. Additionally, strong repulsions between DNA and divalent co-ions and among divalent co-ions themselves leads to a {\em depletion} of negative ions near DNA surface as compared to the case without divalent co-ions. This leads to less screened and stronger electrostatic correlations of divalent counterions condensed on the DNA surface. This in turns results in a stronger overcharging of DNA by multivalent counterions.
Divalent
DNA condensation
Counterion Condensation
Electrostatics
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The problem of DNA-DNA interaction mediated by divalent counterions is studied using computer simulation. Although divalent counterions cannot condense free DNA molecules in solution, we show that if DNA configurational entropy is restricted, divalent counterions can cause DNA reentrant condensation similar to that caused by tri- or tetra-valent counterions. DNA-DNA interaction is strongly repulsive at small or large counterion concentration and is negligible or slightly attractive for a concentration in between. Implications of our results to experiments of DNA ejection from bacteriophages are discussed. The quantitative result serves to understand electrostatic effects in other experiments involving DNA and divalent counterions.
Divalent
Counterion Condensation
DNA condensation
Reentrancy
Cite
Citations (10)